Piquant, see

I have love affairs with certain spices that go on for ages. There was my fennel seed fling; cumin seeds and I were hot and heavy for some time; the more alluring coriander seeds usurped my affections. I have done more than flirt with ginger and star anise, been on intimate terms with pungent cardamom and lusted after expensive saffron. At the moment, I am in thrall to paprika, particularly the sweet, smoky Spanish variety.

Spices, and the way we use them, are changing. Saffron, ginger and paprika are riding the wave of popularity for Iberian and North African flavours. Good old-fashioned curry powder (for which I still have a soft spot) is reserved for egg sandwiches and kedgeree. Cinnamon is creeping back into the kitchen in lighter, modern Greek dishes and as a substitute for cassia bark in Asian soups and stews.

We are learning when to dry-fry spices and when to cook with onions, when to use them whole or ground and how to make our own curry pastes and spice blends such as garam masala.

We also know to buy our spices whole and toast or grind them ourselves for extra freshness and flavour. At Herbie's Spices in Balmain (www.herbies.com.au), the freshness and quality of the spices are a revelation - for those of us in love with spices, it's a dangerous place.

Chicken tikka masala

Tikka means small pieces and masala means a mixture or blend. Marinated chicken is grilled or cooked in a tandoor oven (and, of course, we all have one of those) and served in a rich creamy sauce. Dieters can stop at the grilled chicken stage very happily.

Cut the meat into bite-sized cubes. Combine with the yoghurt, lemon juice, salt, garlic, ginger, chilli, spices and vegetable oil in a bowl and mix well. Leave to marinate until you are ready to cook.

Thread the meat loosely onto thin bamboo skewers and arrange on a lightly oiled rack. Place the rack under a pre-heated grill and grill for 6 minutes each side until scorched and tender.

To make the sauce, heat the butter and oil in a frypan, and cook the onion until soft. Add the ginger and garlic, spices, sugar and salt and cook, stirring, for 2 mins. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 mins or until the oil comes to the surface. Gradually add the cream, stirring constantly, without boiling.

To serve, gently simmer the chicken pieces in the sauce for 5 mins. Scatter with fresh coriander and serve with rice.

Serves 4.

Fruit and vegetable tagine

Ginger, saffron and coriander make this colourful, rich tagine of vegetables and fruits unmistakably Moroccan. This is great with fish or chicken.

Cover the pan and simmer for 15 mins. Add the zucchini and simmer for a further 15 mins or until the vegetables are tender. Taste for salt and pepper and serve hot, with couscous.

Serves 4.

Lamb kofta with pine nuts and sumac

Minced lamb, pine nuts and spices are formed into sausages and served with yoghurt and flat bread, in an updated form of Lebanese comfort food. Sumac is a sour, lemony spice made from the ground seeds of a wild red berry.

Toast the pine nuts in a hot dry pan until golden, then cool. Whiz the onion, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, pine nuts, mint, salt and pepper in a food processor until smooth. Add the lamb and whiz until it forms a paste.

Form the paste into sausages, and press metal skewers along their length, tamping the meat around the skewer. Alternatively, form the meat into small meatballs. Brush with a little oil and grill for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once or twice.

Lightly grill the pita bread, add a dollop of yoghurt and top with the kofta. Scatter with sumac and coriander leaves and serve with lemon quarters.

Serves 4.

Do it yourself

Garam masala, if made at home with fresh spices, will be infinitely superior to the supermarket variety.